I am truly afraid of telling too much if I blog about this book as I usually do. So, out of respect to those of you who might want to read Look Again, I am only going to tell you that it is gripping, a true page turner, and if you read it, you will not be disappointed. I read it in under a day because I could not put it down. Seriously.
I will say this one thing before I end my shortest blog EVER, because I feel that some readers might not ever pick up this book because of the subject matter: I found myself comfortably distanced as I read this book. In others words, because of the life I live and where I live it with the children I have and the spouse I have and the lack of money I have, I was able to read the book and sympathize with the characters, while not worrying too terribly much about this entire string of events ever happening to my family. And for those of you who are reading this and who know me personally, to admit that I wasn't worrying about my family is seriously saying something. It was an amazing story and I hope that I would have the strength and the courage that Ellen had as a mother to do all of the things she did for her son, but I hope I never ever have to find out.
Read it. It is a seriously good book.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
#43 The Summer We Came to Life by Deborah Cloyed
I am still trying to figure out what this book was about a full day after finishing it. This book, sadly, will not make my favorite list for 2011. It won't even make my "will recommend to friends" list for 2011.
The disappointing part about what I just typed is that the characters Cloyed created are amazing! I could visualize them, I could hear them talk, they were funny and realistic, I actually liked them--all of them. But, it wasn't good enough for the author to just tell a simple story about "The Vacation Club." For me, that would've been enough. The last trip of The Vacation Club after the death of a member (back of book jacket information...I am not giving anything away here). Even if she had included the scene with Sam and Isabel in the water, I still would've finished the book. But, Cloyed felt the need to weave in a metaphysical component that made the book die for me. Ironic, huh? A dead book about life. Funny.
So, I had read roughly 50 pages of the book and found myself in Barnes and Noble reading the back cover of the book to find out what the book was supposed to be about (a downfall of the Nook Color--no back covers to read) and realizing that I had missed a few things. I did not realize that Mina had died of cancer (on the back of the book) and that The Vacation Club was meeting for one last trip on a beach in Honduras (also on the back of the book). Why did I not know this? Was I thinking about something else as I was reading and missed it (possibly, but if I was doing that is it my fault or is the book not holding my attention) or did the author make the assumption that we knew if from reading the back of the book, or was she being mysterious and would fill us in on the details later? Beats me.
In addition to trying to figure out the basics of the book, Cloyed then completely throws me for a loop when we read Mina's journal to/from Samantha where Sam promises to find Mina and to bring her back (to life). This is where she lost me. If I have a hard time believing that a place called Heaven really exists, do you really think that I am going to believe that someone can bring someone back from the dead? Or can find them walking around an alternative universe? While I loved watching Sliders in high school/college and thought it made an interesting show, I am not a believer. (I also had a hard time with The Time Traveler's Wife). If being presented with this wasn't enough, trying reading journal pages written from one friend to another about physical research that point to alternative universes as truth. Not fun for me. I'm sure someone out there would like it, but I had a hard time with it. Perhaps I would've found it to be a bit more believable had either Mina or Sam been a super scientist, but that wasn't the case. I could never quite figure out why they needed to bring Mina back, other than the obvious--they didn't want their friend to die.
No sooner do I overlook all of this parallel universe business and get into the characters when something terrible happens (I won't spoil it) and I find myself in the middle of a couple of chapters that seem to be straight out of It's a Wonderful Life. I had just gotten over my disappointment with the chapters written as a transcript instead of real dialogue (I get why she did it but I didn't like it) and then she throws this craziness at me. I almost stopped reading right then.
But I am not a quitter, so on I read. The ending was good and things were resolved for me. The great characters came back and made me smile at the end, but I think it was tool late to save the book overall for me.
The bottom line is this: not every book appeals to every reader. Just because it wasn't my fave doesn't mean it won't be yours. You have to read the back of the book to find out if you like it enough to read the entire thing. And, I think you really do need to buy into the idea of parallel universes to truly enjoy this book. I can't do that. But I feel the need to say it again--the character development of this novel (the first for this author) was incredible. It was the plot that killed it for me. Again, the irony is too funny...
The disappointing part about what I just typed is that the characters Cloyed created are amazing! I could visualize them, I could hear them talk, they were funny and realistic, I actually liked them--all of them. But, it wasn't good enough for the author to just tell a simple story about "The Vacation Club." For me, that would've been enough. The last trip of The Vacation Club after the death of a member (back of book jacket information...I am not giving anything away here). Even if she had included the scene with Sam and Isabel in the water, I still would've finished the book. But, Cloyed felt the need to weave in a metaphysical component that made the book die for me. Ironic, huh? A dead book about life. Funny.
So, I had read roughly 50 pages of the book and found myself in Barnes and Noble reading the back cover of the book to find out what the book was supposed to be about (a downfall of the Nook Color--no back covers to read) and realizing that I had missed a few things. I did not realize that Mina had died of cancer (on the back of the book) and that The Vacation Club was meeting for one last trip on a beach in Honduras (also on the back of the book). Why did I not know this? Was I thinking about something else as I was reading and missed it (possibly, but if I was doing that is it my fault or is the book not holding my attention) or did the author make the assumption that we knew if from reading the back of the book, or was she being mysterious and would fill us in on the details later? Beats me.
In addition to trying to figure out the basics of the book, Cloyed then completely throws me for a loop when we read Mina's journal to/from Samantha where Sam promises to find Mina and to bring her back (to life). This is where she lost me. If I have a hard time believing that a place called Heaven really exists, do you really think that I am going to believe that someone can bring someone back from the dead? Or can find them walking around an alternative universe? While I loved watching Sliders in high school/college and thought it made an interesting show, I am not a believer. (I also had a hard time with The Time Traveler's Wife). If being presented with this wasn't enough, trying reading journal pages written from one friend to another about physical research that point to alternative universes as truth. Not fun for me. I'm sure someone out there would like it, but I had a hard time with it. Perhaps I would've found it to be a bit more believable had either Mina or Sam been a super scientist, but that wasn't the case. I could never quite figure out why they needed to bring Mina back, other than the obvious--they didn't want their friend to die.
No sooner do I overlook all of this parallel universe business and get into the characters when something terrible happens (I won't spoil it) and I find myself in the middle of a couple of chapters that seem to be straight out of It's a Wonderful Life. I had just gotten over my disappointment with the chapters written as a transcript instead of real dialogue (I get why she did it but I didn't like it) and then she throws this craziness at me. I almost stopped reading right then.
But I am not a quitter, so on I read. The ending was good and things were resolved for me. The great characters came back and made me smile at the end, but I think it was tool late to save the book overall for me.
The bottom line is this: not every book appeals to every reader. Just because it wasn't my fave doesn't mean it won't be yours. You have to read the back of the book to find out if you like it enough to read the entire thing. And, I think you really do need to buy into the idea of parallel universes to truly enjoy this book. I can't do that. But I feel the need to say it again--the character development of this novel (the first for this author) was incredible. It was the plot that killed it for me. Again, the irony is too funny...
Saturday, July 23, 2011
#42 Angel Falls by Kristin Hannah
I think that I can count on one hand the number of books that I have read in my lifetime where the main male character loves more deeply than the main female character. Angel Falls is one of those books and for that reason alone this book is worth reading. It puts relationships in perspective and makes you realize what real love, or in this case, TRUE love, is all about. (You'll have to read the book to realize why TRUE love is funny...)
I honestly wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book when I turned the last page. Believe it or not, I hadn't even made up my mind as to how I felt about it until it was almost over. Normally, Kristin Hannh's books have me reaching for the tissues long before the book is even over, but this one kept my emotions so constant that it took me some time to really form my opinion about the book.
So, here it is. I was still swimming in thoughts from the book two books ago (Fly Away Home) when I picked this one up knowing that Hannah's books always are wonderful. I was still trying to figure out exactly what I thought of myself as a wife and of my marriage overall, as Fly Away Home made me question EVERYTHING! Within minutes of beginning Angel Falls, a catastrophy hits the family and life as they knew it is never the same (you'll have to read it to find out exactly what happens, but I've told you no more--and maybe less--than the book jacket would). I wasn't sure if I could continue reading at that point because it was just so painful to read and some scenes just broke my heart. But, if you chose to read this book, you will need to just keep reading. It does get better and things do change.
And because things change, and because Kristin Hannah is so skilled at her craft, she made me reevaluate all of the things I was questioning in my life because of Fly Away Home. She made me realize that true love is rare and if you have it, you better work hard to keep it. Love is work, but it's work worth doing. And, I no longer feel inadequate because I have given my life, and perhaps a little bit of myself along the way, for my family. If I am anything like Liam, well...I have done my job as mother and wife and will hold my head high from pride. Loving with your entire being is what we all should be doing. I found myself wishing that I could love like Liam loved Mike. It also made me realize that loving like Mike is definitely dangerous!
Liam reminded me that love is not always passionate and sexy (although that is nice from time to time--enter Liam and Mike and the locker room scene) and that"s not always a bad thing. Love is comfortable and it's being able to be who you really are all of the time and not having to apologize for it. It's being supportive, but also knowing when your parter needs time alone or to be with other friends. And, it's knowing that when your partner is away that there's no reason to be jealous or envious because we all need friends outside of our marriage. While I would love to be all things to Rob, it's not going to happen. I will never play golf and I will never understand exactly what he does at work and that's OK. Likewise, I don't want to go purse shopping with him and I like that he doesn't quite get what I do at school because this gives me the chance to leave it all behind when I get home everyday.
Fly Away Home made me sad and worried. Angel Falls reminded me that I am very blessed indeed. I have a wonderful husband and two girls are really good girls, most of the time. No one is perfect, as MIke reminds us throughout this book, and I need to stop trying to be the perfect wife to a perfect husband. All I need to do is love my family. With love the rest will fall into place.
Once again, Kristin Hannah has written a book that is powerful and worth reading. I wonder how long until she publishes a new one?
I honestly wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book when I turned the last page. Believe it or not, I hadn't even made up my mind as to how I felt about it until it was almost over. Normally, Kristin Hannh's books have me reaching for the tissues long before the book is even over, but this one kept my emotions so constant that it took me some time to really form my opinion about the book.
So, here it is. I was still swimming in thoughts from the book two books ago (Fly Away Home) when I picked this one up knowing that Hannah's books always are wonderful. I was still trying to figure out exactly what I thought of myself as a wife and of my marriage overall, as Fly Away Home made me question EVERYTHING! Within minutes of beginning Angel Falls, a catastrophy hits the family and life as they knew it is never the same (you'll have to read it to find out exactly what happens, but I've told you no more--and maybe less--than the book jacket would). I wasn't sure if I could continue reading at that point because it was just so painful to read and some scenes just broke my heart. But, if you chose to read this book, you will need to just keep reading. It does get better and things do change.
And because things change, and because Kristin Hannah is so skilled at her craft, she made me reevaluate all of the things I was questioning in my life because of Fly Away Home. She made me realize that true love is rare and if you have it, you better work hard to keep it. Love is work, but it's work worth doing. And, I no longer feel inadequate because I have given my life, and perhaps a little bit of myself along the way, for my family. If I am anything like Liam, well...I have done my job as mother and wife and will hold my head high from pride. Loving with your entire being is what we all should be doing. I found myself wishing that I could love like Liam loved Mike. It also made me realize that loving like Mike is definitely dangerous!
Liam reminded me that love is not always passionate and sexy (although that is nice from time to time--enter Liam and Mike and the locker room scene) and that"s not always a bad thing. Love is comfortable and it's being able to be who you really are all of the time and not having to apologize for it. It's being supportive, but also knowing when your parter needs time alone or to be with other friends. And, it's knowing that when your partner is away that there's no reason to be jealous or envious because we all need friends outside of our marriage. While I would love to be all things to Rob, it's not going to happen. I will never play golf and I will never understand exactly what he does at work and that's OK. Likewise, I don't want to go purse shopping with him and I like that he doesn't quite get what I do at school because this gives me the chance to leave it all behind when I get home everyday.
Fly Away Home made me sad and worried. Angel Falls reminded me that I am very blessed indeed. I have a wonderful husband and two girls are really good girls, most of the time. No one is perfect, as MIke reminds us throughout this book, and I need to stop trying to be the perfect wife to a perfect husband. All I need to do is love my family. With love the rest will fall into place.
Once again, Kristin Hannah has written a book that is powerful and worth reading. I wonder how long until she publishes a new one?
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
#41 Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brasheres
Honestly, I wasn't going to write a lot about this book. All I needed to say, up until about 5 mnutes ago when the thought I am about to elaborate upon hit me, was how I wished that I had my own sisterhood. I'm not sure which of the Septembers I am most like. I can see bits and pieces of myself in all of them, except maybe Bridget, but I'd sure love to look like her. But wouldn't it just be so great to always have 3 people that you could call on to share everything, or even nothing? To have 3 people who know you better than you know yourself. While I'd like to say that having such a sisterhood is just another work of fiction, it's not true. There are plenty of people in this world who have such a sisterhood, or brotherhood as the case may be, and, honestly, I am envious of them.
So, it was with this thought in my head that I started thinking about friendship and, because I just watched the final Harry Potter movie last night, I thought of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and horcruxes. While I find it impossible to believe, I know that there are readers who may not be familiar with Harry Potter and who don't have a clue what a horcrux is. This isn't the best explanation but here goes: Voldemort, the bad guy from HP, put a little piece of himself in 7 (it was 7, right?) different random places (a ring, a diadem, a snake, in Harry, etc..) so that even if someone killed him, he'd never really be dead until all of the horcruxes had been destroyed, too. It made me wonder: where are my 7 horcruxes? Where I have left little pieces of myself so that if they are still alive, I will be too?
Obviously, we leave little pieces of ourselves all over. I'd love to think that each child I have ever taught carries a little piece of Mrs. Whitt with him/her every day. More personal than those 16 years of school children are my own children, who carry bits of me with them, like it or not. I would also hope that Rob carries a piece of me with him, too, and so would my Mom, my sister, and my dear aunt. But then, beyond family, there are the other important people in my life--the people who have touched my life in various ways--and I wonder if they carry a piece of me, too?
I know that I carry them with me. Maybe you can't call it a sisterhood (I would have to include brotherhood, too, because anyone who knew me growing up knows that I had more male friends than female friends), but I certainly feel a bit like Harry right now, carrying bits of friends from long ago inside me knowing that while I still exist, so do they. I carry Jessica, Brooke, and Dana, Heidi, Sarah, and Karen, Greg, Rob, and Joey, Maureen, Ronda, and Shandie (do my friends all appear in sets of 3?) with me each and every day. I carry what they taught me about love and life and friendship and I am grateful for each day I was able to spend with them and to learn from them. These people helped to shape me into who I am today--the wife, the teacher, and the mother. To these amazing people I give thanks.
I know that as I grow, I will house more people in my soul and they will live with me, teaching me and making me who I am. Maybe it's better that I don't have just 3 friends. Maybe it's better that I carry lots of people with me. I have been blessed in this life with lots of people to love and to learn from. Maybe I don't need a sisterhood. Maybe my horcruxes are all I need.
So, it was with this thought in my head that I started thinking about friendship and, because I just watched the final Harry Potter movie last night, I thought of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and horcruxes. While I find it impossible to believe, I know that there are readers who may not be familiar with Harry Potter and who don't have a clue what a horcrux is. This isn't the best explanation but here goes: Voldemort, the bad guy from HP, put a little piece of himself in 7 (it was 7, right?) different random places (a ring, a diadem, a snake, in Harry, etc..) so that even if someone killed him, he'd never really be dead until all of the horcruxes had been destroyed, too. It made me wonder: where are my 7 horcruxes? Where I have left little pieces of myself so that if they are still alive, I will be too?
Obviously, we leave little pieces of ourselves all over. I'd love to think that each child I have ever taught carries a little piece of Mrs. Whitt with him/her every day. More personal than those 16 years of school children are my own children, who carry bits of me with them, like it or not. I would also hope that Rob carries a piece of me with him, too, and so would my Mom, my sister, and my dear aunt. But then, beyond family, there are the other important people in my life--the people who have touched my life in various ways--and I wonder if they carry a piece of me, too?
I know that I carry them with me. Maybe you can't call it a sisterhood (I would have to include brotherhood, too, because anyone who knew me growing up knows that I had more male friends than female friends), but I certainly feel a bit like Harry right now, carrying bits of friends from long ago inside me knowing that while I still exist, so do they. I carry Jessica, Brooke, and Dana, Heidi, Sarah, and Karen, Greg, Rob, and Joey, Maureen, Ronda, and Shandie (do my friends all appear in sets of 3?) with me each and every day. I carry what they taught me about love and life and friendship and I am grateful for each day I was able to spend with them and to learn from them. These people helped to shape me into who I am today--the wife, the teacher, and the mother. To these amazing people I give thanks.
I know that as I grow, I will house more people in my soul and they will live with me, teaching me and making me who I am. Maybe it's better that I don't have just 3 friends. Maybe it's better that I carry lots of people with me. I have been blessed in this life with lots of people to love and to learn from. Maybe I don't need a sisterhood. Maybe my horcruxes are all I need.
Monday, July 18, 2011
#40: Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
Fly Away Home was a very good book, but it has put me into a depressing funk that I can not shake.
The book revolves around three women: Sylvie (the mom), Diana (the doctor and oldest daughter), and Lizzie (the younger daughter and recovering addict). Weiner focuses on one woman per chapter--I like authors who do that. It keeps me focused and interested.
The basic idea of the book, women who reconsider their lives after a major crisis, has forced me to do the same and I am not all that sure how different I am from these three women. Well--two of them--I am not a recovering addict. Sylvie spent her entire life running the life of her husband. Now, I know that I do not run Rob's life. Far from it, in fact. But, I remember specifically thinking long ago that my life as a teacher would make his life easier. I could be with the kids during vacations and breaks, I could be home with them in the afternoons, etc. I have spent 17 years trying to make his life easier just to make mine more complicated. (I would like to try to be more like Sylvie in that she lives her days maintaining her size 6 waistline. I think the last time I was in a size 6 was college. Sad, but true.) When Sylvie is faced with a life changing decision, she also has to decide what to do with her life. She does reinvent herself and blossoms while she's doing it. This begs the question--have I dug my own grave by catering to my husband? It's all too much to think about.
Then there's Diana...she's a doctor, she's successful, she's a mother and a wife. She handpicked her husband so that she would have a stable life with a good man who loves her. She didn't want any surprises so she chose her husband accordingly. As a result, she is now bored with her marriage. I also remember thinking that Rob would be a great husband, and he is. He's a great provider, he loves his children, and I am fairly certain that he loves me, too. I "picked" him for all of those reasons. Does that mean that one day the boredom will set in? Then what? Do I need to work harder now so that doesn't happen? I don't think I can fit one more thing into my day as it is. All of this is just a lot of pressure.
Thank goodness for Lizzie who is just so busy trying to make it from day to day that she has no plan. But, she makes those of us who are planners seem like crazy neurotic women who end up alone. Which is EXACTLY what I have been stressing over since I read this book. In fact, today, eating lunch alone at the mall reading book #41, I realized that being alone is what will take me from this world (unless something else happens first). Being alone is NOT for me. I will be the wife who dies of a broken heart should Rob go before me. I will not be able to function.
Have I made you just want to run and out and buy Fly Away Home? I finished this book two days ago and have not been able to pick up a book since. I wanted a fun, light-hearted book to follow this one and should have just found another cowboy book. Nope. Instead, I downloaded Sisterhood Everlasting (the last Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book) because I love the characters and they make me smile and I just knew that it would be a nice change of pace. Was I ever wrong. #41 has made me more sad and depressed than #40.
The book revolves around three women: Sylvie (the mom), Diana (the doctor and oldest daughter), and Lizzie (the younger daughter and recovering addict). Weiner focuses on one woman per chapter--I like authors who do that. It keeps me focused and interested.
The basic idea of the book, women who reconsider their lives after a major crisis, has forced me to do the same and I am not all that sure how different I am from these three women. Well--two of them--I am not a recovering addict. Sylvie spent her entire life running the life of her husband. Now, I know that I do not run Rob's life. Far from it, in fact. But, I remember specifically thinking long ago that my life as a teacher would make his life easier. I could be with the kids during vacations and breaks, I could be home with them in the afternoons, etc. I have spent 17 years trying to make his life easier just to make mine more complicated. (I would like to try to be more like Sylvie in that she lives her days maintaining her size 6 waistline. I think the last time I was in a size 6 was college. Sad, but true.) When Sylvie is faced with a life changing decision, she also has to decide what to do with her life. She does reinvent herself and blossoms while she's doing it. This begs the question--have I dug my own grave by catering to my husband? It's all too much to think about.
Then there's Diana...she's a doctor, she's successful, she's a mother and a wife. She handpicked her husband so that she would have a stable life with a good man who loves her. She didn't want any surprises so she chose her husband accordingly. As a result, she is now bored with her marriage. I also remember thinking that Rob would be a great husband, and he is. He's a great provider, he loves his children, and I am fairly certain that he loves me, too. I "picked" him for all of those reasons. Does that mean that one day the boredom will set in? Then what? Do I need to work harder now so that doesn't happen? I don't think I can fit one more thing into my day as it is. All of this is just a lot of pressure.
Thank goodness for Lizzie who is just so busy trying to make it from day to day that she has no plan. But, she makes those of us who are planners seem like crazy neurotic women who end up alone. Which is EXACTLY what I have been stressing over since I read this book. In fact, today, eating lunch alone at the mall reading book #41, I realized that being alone is what will take me from this world (unless something else happens first). Being alone is NOT for me. I will be the wife who dies of a broken heart should Rob go before me. I will not be able to function.
Have I made you just want to run and out and buy Fly Away Home? I finished this book two days ago and have not been able to pick up a book since. I wanted a fun, light-hearted book to follow this one and should have just found another cowboy book. Nope. Instead, I downloaded Sisterhood Everlasting (the last Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book) because I love the characters and they make me smile and I just knew that it would be a nice change of pace. Was I ever wrong. #41 has made me more sad and depressed than #40.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
#37, 38, 39: A Creed in Stone Creek, Creed's Honor, and The Creed Legacy
I have spent the past week reading about the Creed Family and have loved every minute of it, right down to the last few pages where I shed joyful tears for a family who just has gotten it all right.
I loved reading books by Linda Lael Miller. They are filled with characters that are the sort of people you wished were real. Who knows--maybe in Texas and Colorado there are people like the Creeds and the Mekettricks. At least I hope there are people like these characters out there in the real world. I always leave these books with the desire to run away to a small town in Texas so that I can be part of a community where everyone knows everyone else, where everyone pitches in when a family needs it, and where everyone genuinely cares about the safety and well being of everyone else. And, if the cowboys really looked like the ones on the covers of these books...well, that would just be a bonus, now wouldn't it?
Seriously, though, the Creed Trilogy was a good one and worth reading if reading about cowboys is your kind of thing. I did not read them in the correct order because I was having a hard time finding the first one. So, I read the second one first and the first one second. The order really doesn't matter for the first two books, but be sure to ready the 3rd one last. You'd learn too much too soon if you read it any earlier.
The Creed books are about 3 men: Steven, Conner, and Brody (don't you love that name?). Conner and Brody are identical twins. As a child, Steven lived most of the year with his mother and spent only the summers on the Creed Ranch. Conner and Brody lost their parents when they were babies and were raised by their uncle, Davis, and his new wife Kim. Steven is actually their cousin and is the son of Davis. Obviously, all of what I have just recorded creates the most wonderful literary "baggage" for these three boys/men who have a lot to struggle with and move beyond in order to become the kind of men their families expect them to be: stable, husbands, fathers, ranchers.
They are, however, no ordinary men. I think this is exactly why we women read about them. They are extraordinarily good looking, extremely wealthy, and are just the three nicest guys on the planet. What woman in her right mind would not be fighting her best friend for the job of wife to any one of these three men? Well, there is a little fighting over them, but not amongst friends. Friends just don't behave that way. It wouldn't matter anyway. Once a Creed man sets his sights on a lady, he pretty much ends up with her in the end. But, she's always the woman you were pulling for from the beginning. She's the kind and gentle soul who never thought a Creed could love her. It's the perfect love story. Times three.
I think these books touched my heart in ways that Miller's books typically have not done before because they spoke to the issue of strong families and enduring families. While these books are wonderful stories, as you read them you are continuously reminded that they are just stories. However, Davis and Brody, in book 3, speak a lot to the subject of families: how few are perfect, how all will have struggles to overcome, and how it's necessary to pull together to make a fmaily work and survive. How refreshing to read something like that in a cowboy book where everything seems perfect! It made me really think about my own family--the one that lives in my house with me and all of the other members besides. We are not perfect. (If we were I wouldn't need to read stories about people who are in order to escape my all too real life...) But we love each other and we care about each other. We will pull together when people need extra help, we will come together for weddings and when babies are born, we will fight and we will make up. We are a family and that's what families do. Thank you, Linda Lael Miller and The Creed Family, for reminding me that my family is a pretty good one, too!
I loved reading books by Linda Lael Miller. They are filled with characters that are the sort of people you wished were real. Who knows--maybe in Texas and Colorado there are people like the Creeds and the Mekettricks. At least I hope there are people like these characters out there in the real world. I always leave these books with the desire to run away to a small town in Texas so that I can be part of a community where everyone knows everyone else, where everyone pitches in when a family needs it, and where everyone genuinely cares about the safety and well being of everyone else. And, if the cowboys really looked like the ones on the covers of these books...well, that would just be a bonus, now wouldn't it?
Seriously, though, the Creed Trilogy was a good one and worth reading if reading about cowboys is your kind of thing. I did not read them in the correct order because I was having a hard time finding the first one. So, I read the second one first and the first one second. The order really doesn't matter for the first two books, but be sure to ready the 3rd one last. You'd learn too much too soon if you read it any earlier.
The Creed books are about 3 men: Steven, Conner, and Brody (don't you love that name?). Conner and Brody are identical twins. As a child, Steven lived most of the year with his mother and spent only the summers on the Creed Ranch. Conner and Brody lost their parents when they were babies and were raised by their uncle, Davis, and his new wife Kim. Steven is actually their cousin and is the son of Davis. Obviously, all of what I have just recorded creates the most wonderful literary "baggage" for these three boys/men who have a lot to struggle with and move beyond in order to become the kind of men their families expect them to be: stable, husbands, fathers, ranchers.
They are, however, no ordinary men. I think this is exactly why we women read about them. They are extraordinarily good looking, extremely wealthy, and are just the three nicest guys on the planet. What woman in her right mind would not be fighting her best friend for the job of wife to any one of these three men? Well, there is a little fighting over them, but not amongst friends. Friends just don't behave that way. It wouldn't matter anyway. Once a Creed man sets his sights on a lady, he pretty much ends up with her in the end. But, she's always the woman you were pulling for from the beginning. She's the kind and gentle soul who never thought a Creed could love her. It's the perfect love story. Times three.
I think these books touched my heart in ways that Miller's books typically have not done before because they spoke to the issue of strong families and enduring families. While these books are wonderful stories, as you read them you are continuously reminded that they are just stories. However, Davis and Brody, in book 3, speak a lot to the subject of families: how few are perfect, how all will have struggles to overcome, and how it's necessary to pull together to make a fmaily work and survive. How refreshing to read something like that in a cowboy book where everything seems perfect! It made me really think about my own family--the one that lives in my house with me and all of the other members besides. We are not perfect. (If we were I wouldn't need to read stories about people who are in order to escape my all too real life...) But we love each other and we care about each other. We will pull together when people need extra help, we will come together for weddings and when babies are born, we will fight and we will make up. We are a family and that's what families do. Thank you, Linda Lael Miller and The Creed Family, for reminding me that my family is a pretty good one, too!
Friday, July 8, 2011
#36: Fleece Navidad by Maggie Sefton
My mother and I are knitters. She taught me how to knit when I was about 12 or 13 and then re-taught me again when I was about 32. She has also taught me to crochet. My undiagnosed ADD keeps me coming back to crocheting, however. Knitting just takes forever and it's hard to for me to fix mistakes. So, in my desire to have things looking pretty and perfect, I crochet. My mother and I also love yarn stores. We could literally hang out in them all day, just looking at every color and touching the different skeins to find the ones that are the softest. It's a little strange, I know, but serious knitters and crocheters are just like this. I've come to accept it and have moved on.
But when my Mom called me several years ago and told me the she had just read the BEST book EVER and that it was called Knit One, Kill Two I thought she had really taken this yarn thing a little too far. She promised me that it was worth my time and she was right (again, but don't tell her that!).
Fleece Navidad is the 6th in a series of knitting mysteries by Maggie Sefton and I have loved them all. I stopped reading them for a period of time because (I am going to be brutally honest here) I was too cheap to buy them in hardback. Sefton's books are always printed in those small hardbacks first and I just can't stomach spending $18 on the smallest hardback book in history. I have now waited long enough to read the next 4 in paperback. Fleece Navidad begins the round.
I don't want to say anything that might give this book away. What would be the point in reading a mystery? But, I will tell you that the characters are real, likable, and easy to remember, even when you haven't picked up a book in years. The mysteries are also believable and the events are not contrived. The one thing I do have to wonder is why the people of this small community in Colorado keeps living there? There sure have been a lot of murders there in one year. If I were them, I would be thinking about moving.
Dropped Dead Stitch is the next one in the series, but I am not going to read that one right away. My next book is a cowboy book. I just love a good cowboy book! Happy reading!
But when my Mom called me several years ago and told me the she had just read the BEST book EVER and that it was called Knit One, Kill Two I thought she had really taken this yarn thing a little too far. She promised me that it was worth my time and she was right (again, but don't tell her that!).
Fleece Navidad is the 6th in a series of knitting mysteries by Maggie Sefton and I have loved them all. I stopped reading them for a period of time because (I am going to be brutally honest here) I was too cheap to buy them in hardback. Sefton's books are always printed in those small hardbacks first and I just can't stomach spending $18 on the smallest hardback book in history. I have now waited long enough to read the next 4 in paperback. Fleece Navidad begins the round.
I don't want to say anything that might give this book away. What would be the point in reading a mystery? But, I will tell you that the characters are real, likable, and easy to remember, even when you haven't picked up a book in years. The mysteries are also believable and the events are not contrived. The one thing I do have to wonder is why the people of this small community in Colorado keeps living there? There sure have been a lot of murders there in one year. If I were them, I would be thinking about moving.
Dropped Dead Stitch is the next one in the series, but I am not going to read that one right away. My next book is a cowboy book. I just love a good cowboy book! Happy reading!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
#27 Love Wins by Rob Bell
I started reading this book back in May when Pastor Brian read exerpts from it during a Bible study class. I knew from the minute that I bought the book that I was in for a controversial read. Honestly, that was part of the draw for me. I typically do not think of religion, faith, and spirituality in the same light as others, so I thought that maybe I could seriously get something out of this book. Now that I have finished it, I just don't see what the controversy was all about. Maybe I am misguided and I will fully admit that I am clueless when it comes to the goings on mentioned in the Bible, but I just don't get what all the fuss was about.
OK, so maybe the idea of Heaven and Hell not being actual places but more states of mind ruffled some feathers. For me, this was not a new idea. My religion professor, Dr. Cain--a retired Baptist minister turned Religion professor--first introduced this idea to me back in the early 1990's. For me, this idea made a world of sense. I am a black and white kind of person and I am very reality based. The idea of a place beyond the clouds or below the Earth's surface was more than my concrete mind could fathom. If they were really places, why hadn't anyone found them yet? Why couldn't I go there and be with my dad and all of the other family I had lost? These were all questions no one could answer until Dr. Cain stepped in. But beyond that idea, what am I missing that is upsetting the Christian community? Why is Rob Bell being protested? If you are reading this and you have a thought, PLEASE post a comment. I'd seriously like to know what all of the fuss is about.
Furthermore, I am also baffled at the number of people who have totally rebuked his ideas of love, God, and Jesus. It seems to me that he, in book form, just elaborated upon exactly the same ideas presented to me in VBS when I was in Elementary School: accept Jesus into your heart and God loves you unconditionally. Again, maybe this all goes back to the Heaven/Hell debate as he does venture out to say that we should accept God's love and take Jesus into our hearts because it's the right thing to do and NOT because we are using this love to get us into Heaven. As someone who is 39 and who has not ever been baptized, I find his ideas refreshing. I am sure, however, that someone who has been raised in a church and who has followed the "rules" of the Bible would be outraged to think that upon death, I might just be allowed into Heaven because God does not turn his back on his children and that he can get what he wants. I am sure that this entire idea is outrageous. But, from my point of view it is no more outrageous to believe this than to believe that someone who had committed murder, but who had taken Jesus into his heart in prison would be allowed to spend eternity in Heaven. It all goes back to the idea that has been rolling around in my head since I was about 7 or 8: why is it not enough for good people who do good things to get into Heaven? And, what stops bad people who do bad things to turn the other cheek at the last minute and find Christ? Rob Bell recognizes this issue, speaks to it, and I guess has ruffled some feathers. But not mine.
The one idea that I will take away from this book, other than the idea that I might not rot in Hell for all of eternity because God might just get what he wants in the end, is that the Bible was written a long time ago. Because of that, we need to be careful about how we read it. While it is a religious text with great meaning and value, it is also a primary historical document. Words need to be read and interpreted historically and with the meaning they held then, not their 2011 meaning. Rob Bell was right to point this out, too, in his book. Perhaps that accounts for more ruffled feathers.
I liked reading this book. It was quick, it was certainly heavy and made you think and reflect, but it was written in such a way that you could understand the points being made. You might not agree with them, but you can certainly understand them. I am sorry that it made some people angry, angry enough to protest. But, for people like me--people who struggle with God, Jesus, Heaven and Hell on a daily basis--it gave us some hope that things might just be OK. And, that we might be OK. Maybe it's OK to question and to dig deeper, to not always accept things because it's what we've been taught or because it's the way it's always been. I know there are people who are reading this and are disagreeing with me completely, but if I am willing to take the risk to write it, or more importantly to believe it, then what's the big deal?
In the spirit of Rob Bell, here's a quick story...my mother is not a terribly religious woman. She was adopted at age 5, married right out of high school, a mother and a widow at age 25. By the time she was 36, she had married again and had a second child, my sister. Her new husband was a bi-polar manic depressive man who liked to drink way too much. She hasn't stepped in a church (except for the occassional funeral) since 1981 when she was married for the second time. She was, however, baptized and has encouraged me to do so "just in case." She's hopeful that one day she will be reunited in Heaven with my dad, but she's not sure it will ever really happen. She's got enough proof that Hell does exist here on Earth and that the person who delivered her from that living Hell was neither Jesus nor God, but herself. But, just in case, she's ready to go and to take her place in Heaven. While I find this story to be disturbing, and can only assume Rob Bell would, too, I know that there are others who would read it and rejoice. Here's a woman who has looked adversity in the face, come out on top, and is ready to meet up with her loved ones in Heaven. I find it all a bit too convenient and insincere.
Just like my mother, I have not been a terribly religious person (although the career aptitude test I took in High School suggested that I be a Religious Educator, isn't that funny?) and I still fall short of being a good model for my girls. I question too much, I believe too little, but in light of the fact that I lived what my mother lived all those years, it's easy to see why I might question and doubt. So, again I ask those people out there, what the big deal is? Why are you not accepting of my doubts or Rob Bell's alternative views of Heaven and Hell? If what the Bible says is true, then I'm the one taking the chance, not you. Truthfully, I am hoping that Love Wins. I am hoping that God won't turn his back on his children in the end. I am hoping that one day, before my time comes to leave this Earth, that I will feel his love as others have and will take Jesus and God into my heart. But I am not there yet. I will continue to learn, and will continue to question and to reflect with open eyes, an open mind, and an open heart.
Thank you, Rob Bell, for giving me a lot to think about. Thank you for giving me that hope that, in the end, Love will win.
OK, so maybe the idea of Heaven and Hell not being actual places but more states of mind ruffled some feathers. For me, this was not a new idea. My religion professor, Dr. Cain--a retired Baptist minister turned Religion professor--first introduced this idea to me back in the early 1990's. For me, this idea made a world of sense. I am a black and white kind of person and I am very reality based. The idea of a place beyond the clouds or below the Earth's surface was more than my concrete mind could fathom. If they were really places, why hadn't anyone found them yet? Why couldn't I go there and be with my dad and all of the other family I had lost? These were all questions no one could answer until Dr. Cain stepped in. But beyond that idea, what am I missing that is upsetting the Christian community? Why is Rob Bell being protested? If you are reading this and you have a thought, PLEASE post a comment. I'd seriously like to know what all of the fuss is about.
Furthermore, I am also baffled at the number of people who have totally rebuked his ideas of love, God, and Jesus. It seems to me that he, in book form, just elaborated upon exactly the same ideas presented to me in VBS when I was in Elementary School: accept Jesus into your heart and God loves you unconditionally. Again, maybe this all goes back to the Heaven/Hell debate as he does venture out to say that we should accept God's love and take Jesus into our hearts because it's the right thing to do and NOT because we are using this love to get us into Heaven. As someone who is 39 and who has not ever been baptized, I find his ideas refreshing. I am sure, however, that someone who has been raised in a church and who has followed the "rules" of the Bible would be outraged to think that upon death, I might just be allowed into Heaven because God does not turn his back on his children and that he can get what he wants. I am sure that this entire idea is outrageous. But, from my point of view it is no more outrageous to believe this than to believe that someone who had committed murder, but who had taken Jesus into his heart in prison would be allowed to spend eternity in Heaven. It all goes back to the idea that has been rolling around in my head since I was about 7 or 8: why is it not enough for good people who do good things to get into Heaven? And, what stops bad people who do bad things to turn the other cheek at the last minute and find Christ? Rob Bell recognizes this issue, speaks to it, and I guess has ruffled some feathers. But not mine.
The one idea that I will take away from this book, other than the idea that I might not rot in Hell for all of eternity because God might just get what he wants in the end, is that the Bible was written a long time ago. Because of that, we need to be careful about how we read it. While it is a religious text with great meaning and value, it is also a primary historical document. Words need to be read and interpreted historically and with the meaning they held then, not their 2011 meaning. Rob Bell was right to point this out, too, in his book. Perhaps that accounts for more ruffled feathers.
I liked reading this book. It was quick, it was certainly heavy and made you think and reflect, but it was written in such a way that you could understand the points being made. You might not agree with them, but you can certainly understand them. I am sorry that it made some people angry, angry enough to protest. But, for people like me--people who struggle with God, Jesus, Heaven and Hell on a daily basis--it gave us some hope that things might just be OK. And, that we might be OK. Maybe it's OK to question and to dig deeper, to not always accept things because it's what we've been taught or because it's the way it's always been. I know there are people who are reading this and are disagreeing with me completely, but if I am willing to take the risk to write it, or more importantly to believe it, then what's the big deal?
In the spirit of Rob Bell, here's a quick story...my mother is not a terribly religious woman. She was adopted at age 5, married right out of high school, a mother and a widow at age 25. By the time she was 36, she had married again and had a second child, my sister. Her new husband was a bi-polar manic depressive man who liked to drink way too much. She hasn't stepped in a church (except for the occassional funeral) since 1981 when she was married for the second time. She was, however, baptized and has encouraged me to do so "just in case." She's hopeful that one day she will be reunited in Heaven with my dad, but she's not sure it will ever really happen. She's got enough proof that Hell does exist here on Earth and that the person who delivered her from that living Hell was neither Jesus nor God, but herself. But, just in case, she's ready to go and to take her place in Heaven. While I find this story to be disturbing, and can only assume Rob Bell would, too, I know that there are others who would read it and rejoice. Here's a woman who has looked adversity in the face, come out on top, and is ready to meet up with her loved ones in Heaven. I find it all a bit too convenient and insincere.
Just like my mother, I have not been a terribly religious person (although the career aptitude test I took in High School suggested that I be a Religious Educator, isn't that funny?) and I still fall short of being a good model for my girls. I question too much, I believe too little, but in light of the fact that I lived what my mother lived all those years, it's easy to see why I might question and doubt. So, again I ask those people out there, what the big deal is? Why are you not accepting of my doubts or Rob Bell's alternative views of Heaven and Hell? If what the Bible says is true, then I'm the one taking the chance, not you. Truthfully, I am hoping that Love Wins. I am hoping that God won't turn his back on his children in the end. I am hoping that one day, before my time comes to leave this Earth, that I will feel his love as others have and will take Jesus and God into my heart. But I am not there yet. I will continue to learn, and will continue to question and to reflect with open eyes, an open mind, and an open heart.
Thank you, Rob Bell, for giving me a lot to think about. Thank you for giving me that hope that, in the end, Love will win.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Mark of the Lion Trilogy by Francine Rivers (#33, #34, #35)
Well, this afternoon I finished reading the last book in the trilogy (As Sure As the Dawn) and can't believe that since June 15th I have read right around 1500 pages between all 3 books. Phew. I'm not sure if I can pick up another book for a few days. That's a lot of reading! (We all know that will never happen--I already have a bookmark in book #36)
When I blogged about these books the first time, I said that I was having a hard time separating one book from another and that it would be easier to blog about them all at once. I was wrong. After reading the 3rd book, here's my revised statement: It's hard for me to separate the first two books and I'll blog about them at once. The 3rd book is so vastly different from the first two, I can't even imagine putting it in the same category as the first two.
I absolutely loved the first two books in this series and have never been so grateful that a friend shared these books with me. I can honestly say that a quick glance at the front cover and a quick read of the back cover would not have been enough to get me to read these books on my own. They are just not something I typically read. Let's face it--I read a lot, but what I read is typically light or at least modern. These books are neither, but when you have a good friend telling you that they are great, you step out of your box and you read them and I am so glad that I did. I left the second book teary and feeling good about what I had read, about the evolution of the characters, and the overall plot of the book. I loved that the epilogue explained what happened next (I really like to know what happens to characters after the story ends) and honestly felt as though the story has come to a nice end. I opened the 3rd book wondering where Rivers was going to take the story because she had wrapped everything up so nicely in book 2.
So here's what happens. In the 3rd and final book, Rivers reintroduces us to a character we met in book one: Atretes. He is a tough character for me to like and the entire book was about him! (There's a picture of him on the front cover of the book and it certainly made ladies stop and ask me about my book at the pool yesterday--they were intrigued to say the least!) As a result, this book was slow moving for me and not my favorite of the three. Even my dear friend who gave me these books admitted that this one was not as good as the others and likened it to a spin-off of a sit-com. How true she was with that analogy! Now the message was good, but I just found it harder to believe than the other 2.
Why? Each of these 3 books center around characters who are living to spread the word of Christ. Each struggles with this for various reasons, but throughout the books we see the characters evolve and come to terms with their faith and see them so strong in theirs that they are able to effectively spread the good news to others. They are 100% believable. Nothing seems contrived or artificial. Until Atretes. I did not believe for a second that he had accepted Christ nor could I ever believe in his ability to share the news of Jesus with others. His wife was very believable, but after reading two books and getting to know Hadassah, Rizpah paled in comparison.
Despite what I didn't like about book 3, there was one character who fascinated me: Anomia. She was the Julia from the first 2 books: pure evil wrapped in a human form. But, books need a Julia or a Anomia. They need conflict and deception. They are what hold our interest (sad, but true). These characters are the ones we read about and can't turn the pages fast enough to get more. They are typically so far removed from what we live and what we know that we can't help but read on about them. They are like the train wreck we can't turn our eyes from. Sadly, Anomia did not appear in book 3 until about page 350. We could've used her much, much sooner and I am sad that her character was not more fully developed.
She did remind me, however, of something I noticed while reading book 2. I adored Marcus and loved that he loved Hadassah as much as he did. I loved how pure and righteous Hadassah was and loved the stark comparison between her and Julia's friend, Calabah. At one point, Hadassah heals and I began to see her very much as a living, breathing, female version of Jesus. She is trying so hard to make Marcus believe in the power of Jesus. She was revered, although she didn't like that, and she did seem to have a "power." Calabah, on the other hand, seemed to be nothing but hatred, wanted only what was good for her, and let nothing stand in her way as she worked to get the most of out life. In this sense, Calabah became Satan for me and I had a hard time getting this image out of my head as I was reading. When Anomia appeared in book 3, I knew Satan was back, ready to try to destroy.
In addition to just being good stories to read, each of these books, even the third one, made me think about my own faith, and I am guessing that this is the exact point of the author. I will never be as good as Hadassah (and if she was likened after Jesus, we all know why), I can never see myself being as calm as she was in the face of death, and I am sure that anyone reading this will speculate that her faith in God and her belief in Jesus are just a lot stronger than mine are and will perhaps ever be. I would not dispute that for a second. I am sure that others reading this (and who have read the books) will tell me that if I just believe as she did, if I just give my life over to Christ, I too could be like Hadassah. I guess I am not there yet, as I found myself returning to one line that is repeated time and time again in all 3 books. Loosely quoted: sin is sin. This idea has been a source of many discussions in my house over the last 2 months and is one that makes my husband angrier than virtually anything else in the world. I just have a hard time believing that the sins Hadassah committed were looked upon in the same light by God as Julia's or as Calabah's. I just find this idea to be one that I grapple with a lot. For it to be repeated over and over gave me many opportunities to think.
One idea that appeared in book 3 also gave me cause to reflect. Since I was a little girl I have been asking anyone who might have the answer to why God would allow bad things to happen to people. Rizpah gives the answer, one I have never been told by a live person, that God allows bad things to happen so that we can see and feel his mercy. I am struggling with this idea, too, but it certainly is an interesting idea to ponder.
So, it has taken me right around 3 weeks to read this trilogy and I am certainly glad I did. I love that it made me think and feel things that I wouldn't have expected to think or to feel. I love that Hadassah and Marcus gave me hope like no two literary characters ever had. I am a better person for reading these books. You should consider reading them, too. Thanks, Pam!
When I blogged about these books the first time, I said that I was having a hard time separating one book from another and that it would be easier to blog about them all at once. I was wrong. After reading the 3rd book, here's my revised statement: It's hard for me to separate the first two books and I'll blog about them at once. The 3rd book is so vastly different from the first two, I can't even imagine putting it in the same category as the first two.
I absolutely loved the first two books in this series and have never been so grateful that a friend shared these books with me. I can honestly say that a quick glance at the front cover and a quick read of the back cover would not have been enough to get me to read these books on my own. They are just not something I typically read. Let's face it--I read a lot, but what I read is typically light or at least modern. These books are neither, but when you have a good friend telling you that they are great, you step out of your box and you read them and I am so glad that I did. I left the second book teary and feeling good about what I had read, about the evolution of the characters, and the overall plot of the book. I loved that the epilogue explained what happened next (I really like to know what happens to characters after the story ends) and honestly felt as though the story has come to a nice end. I opened the 3rd book wondering where Rivers was going to take the story because she had wrapped everything up so nicely in book 2.
So here's what happens. In the 3rd and final book, Rivers reintroduces us to a character we met in book one: Atretes. He is a tough character for me to like and the entire book was about him! (There's a picture of him on the front cover of the book and it certainly made ladies stop and ask me about my book at the pool yesterday--they were intrigued to say the least!) As a result, this book was slow moving for me and not my favorite of the three. Even my dear friend who gave me these books admitted that this one was not as good as the others and likened it to a spin-off of a sit-com. How true she was with that analogy! Now the message was good, but I just found it harder to believe than the other 2.
Why? Each of these 3 books center around characters who are living to spread the word of Christ. Each struggles with this for various reasons, but throughout the books we see the characters evolve and come to terms with their faith and see them so strong in theirs that they are able to effectively spread the good news to others. They are 100% believable. Nothing seems contrived or artificial. Until Atretes. I did not believe for a second that he had accepted Christ nor could I ever believe in his ability to share the news of Jesus with others. His wife was very believable, but after reading two books and getting to know Hadassah, Rizpah paled in comparison.
Despite what I didn't like about book 3, there was one character who fascinated me: Anomia. She was the Julia from the first 2 books: pure evil wrapped in a human form. But, books need a Julia or a Anomia. They need conflict and deception. They are what hold our interest (sad, but true). These characters are the ones we read about and can't turn the pages fast enough to get more. They are typically so far removed from what we live and what we know that we can't help but read on about them. They are like the train wreck we can't turn our eyes from. Sadly, Anomia did not appear in book 3 until about page 350. We could've used her much, much sooner and I am sad that her character was not more fully developed.
She did remind me, however, of something I noticed while reading book 2. I adored Marcus and loved that he loved Hadassah as much as he did. I loved how pure and righteous Hadassah was and loved the stark comparison between her and Julia's friend, Calabah. At one point, Hadassah heals and I began to see her very much as a living, breathing, female version of Jesus. She is trying so hard to make Marcus believe in the power of Jesus. She was revered, although she didn't like that, and she did seem to have a "power." Calabah, on the other hand, seemed to be nothing but hatred, wanted only what was good for her, and let nothing stand in her way as she worked to get the most of out life. In this sense, Calabah became Satan for me and I had a hard time getting this image out of my head as I was reading. When Anomia appeared in book 3, I knew Satan was back, ready to try to destroy.
In addition to just being good stories to read, each of these books, even the third one, made me think about my own faith, and I am guessing that this is the exact point of the author. I will never be as good as Hadassah (and if she was likened after Jesus, we all know why), I can never see myself being as calm as she was in the face of death, and I am sure that anyone reading this will speculate that her faith in God and her belief in Jesus are just a lot stronger than mine are and will perhaps ever be. I would not dispute that for a second. I am sure that others reading this (and who have read the books) will tell me that if I just believe as she did, if I just give my life over to Christ, I too could be like Hadassah. I guess I am not there yet, as I found myself returning to one line that is repeated time and time again in all 3 books. Loosely quoted: sin is sin. This idea has been a source of many discussions in my house over the last 2 months and is one that makes my husband angrier than virtually anything else in the world. I just have a hard time believing that the sins Hadassah committed were looked upon in the same light by God as Julia's or as Calabah's. I just find this idea to be one that I grapple with a lot. For it to be repeated over and over gave me many opportunities to think.
One idea that appeared in book 3 also gave me cause to reflect. Since I was a little girl I have been asking anyone who might have the answer to why God would allow bad things to happen to people. Rizpah gives the answer, one I have never been told by a live person, that God allows bad things to happen so that we can see and feel his mercy. I am struggling with this idea, too, but it certainly is an interesting idea to ponder.
So, it has taken me right around 3 weeks to read this trilogy and I am certainly glad I did. I love that it made me think and feel things that I wouldn't have expected to think or to feel. I love that Hadassah and Marcus gave me hope like no two literary characters ever had. I am a better person for reading these books. You should consider reading them, too. Thanks, Pam!
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